


Forward Motion

by Liron_aria



Series: Witchcraft and Heroism [1]
Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Teen Titans, Teen Titans (Animated Series), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Aftermath, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Herbal tea solves everything, Raven loves her kids, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-04
Updated: 2012-08-04
Packaged: 2017-11-11 10:30:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/477577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liron_aria/pseuds/Liron_aria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"March on, and fear not the thorns." ~Khalil Gibran. </p><p>The battle against the Brotherhood of Evil was won, leaving the Teen Titans and friends to the aftermath. They picked up the pieces and moved on, with cheer and sadness along the way. Because really? They were heroes, all of them, and nothing could stand in their way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forward Motion

Jinx looked around the room, one hand massaging her temple. There were so many  _people_ , and they were all so  _bright_. Normally, she didn't have a problem being around heroes, or even large groups of people. But, the battle against the Brotherhood of Evil had taxed her powers beyond anything she'd ever been through - except for certain days so far back in her past she didn't even admit they existed - and left her mental shields weak and crumbling. She was especially sensitive to heroes' auras, given that she'd been on the villain side for so long. It was like moving from cold water to hot water - it was a strong shock, and right now, her head was  _killing_  her.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?"

Wally's voice was warm and concerned. His aura was bright, but not blinding like the Justice League's. Part of it was that he was still unknown as a hero, part of it was that hint of his own innate darkness that he still struggled with, and part of it was that she was used to him.

The sorceress smiled up at her boyfriend - her  _boyfriend_ , what a thought that was - and said, "I'll be fine, just tired. It's... really bright here."

Kid Flash frowned slightly and adjusted his hold on his girlfriend - and, wow, he  _actually had a steady girlfriend_  and she was seriously the best thing to ever happen to him - and looked around. The two of them were sitting against a stack of crates as the Justice League coordinated with the Titans - the ones from Jump City - to get the Brotherhood of evil contained and shipped away to their respective prisons. Some would go to Jump City, others to Star City, to Central City, to Metropolis, to Gotham, to New York City... Others would leave the country, back to England and Africa, and others still would leave the planet. Cargo planes and helicopters littered the hideout - if anything, there was  _less_  than average light in the area.

"A... psychic thing?"

Jinx nodded. "Yeah... I just need some rest and I'll be fine. Have they said when we can leave yet?"

Wally shook his head. "Nope. Still waiting on the debriefing roster. No one's leaving until we're sure all the bad guys are contained, all the information stripped down, and everyone's stories lined up. It's going to be a long day."

"Great," Jinx sighed, leaning her head against Wally's shoulder. A streak of red caught her attention, and she looked back up at him. "Are  _you_  going to be okay?"

Wally gave her a small, tight smile. "Yeah. I should be."

Jinx regarded her boyfriend carefully. Wally was one of the few truly good people she'd met. It rarely occurred to him to lie, even to her. But when he  _did_... well, she'd seen rocks with worse poker faces. Wally squeezed her hand in assurance, and the pair went back to watching the chaos around them.

There was a bright streak of blue and red, and Superman appeared near them. He was drawn into conversation with Starfire almost immediately, and Jinx pressed her palm to her temple as pain lanced through her skull. "Any chance we could find somewhere... not here? I don't think I'm going to last very long with Superman  _and_  Wonder Woman in the same place right now."

Before Wally could reply, a cool shadow fell across them.

"Drink this," a dry female voice said, pushing a cup with clear brown liquid in it in front of Jinx, "It'll take the edge off."

Jinx blinked and took the cup, inhaling the herbal aroma. Her eyes widened. "Does this have - oh my gosh, Raven, you are my new favorite person  _forever_."

She took a deep sip, humming happily when she felt her headache lighten.

"What is it?" Wally asked, looking between his girlfriend and the Titan in blue.

"Herbal tea," Raven replied, "It contains an ingredient that dampens psychic sensitivity, makes the auras here less blinding."

"It is the most awesome thing ever," Jinx adds in, "And fast-acting. Like psychic Tylenol."

Raven inclined her head and held out a box to Wally. "Here. Batman said you might be low on energy."

Wally blinked, taking the parcel. It contained some protein bars, an energy drink, and some fruit. He had been running low, but nothing critical compared to the last few weeks of fighting the Brotherhood. "Thanks! Wait, Batman said that? When? He's been arguing with Robin pretty much since the League got here."

Raven's lips twitched. "Green Lantern is of the opinion that he relegated me to 'matron duty' when I cut into their passive-aggressive loving disguised as bickering and told them to shut up and hug already."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Jinx and Wally burst out laughing.

" _New favorite person!_ "

"That's  _awesome_ , Rae."

Raven leveled a glare at the redhead, one of the crates near him cracking open. "Beastboy was  _lying_  when he said you could call me that."

Jinx snickered. "Who said anything about Beastboy? Maybe  _Wally's_  the one who told  _him_  to call you that."

" _Jinx!_  Come on," Wally pleaded, looking between Raven and the crate warily.

Raven schooled her expression back to neutrality. "Eat. I'm not going to carry your unconscious self anywhere."

Wally muttered a quiet "Yes, Ma'am" and unwrapped his snack as Raven walked away, her cape flowing behind her. She stopped by Argent, crouching down to heal a wound on her arm, before moving on to separate two squabbling heroes. She handed one several strips of beef jerky - where she was getting them from, he wasn't sure - and handed the other a bottle of water. Wally couldn't hear what Raven was saying to them, but after a few moments, they sat down, looking abashed, quietly hydrating and replenishing their energy.

"You're worried about her."

Wally swallowed the last of his protein bar and turned back to Jinx. "What makes you say that?"

"You have that look on your face you get when I come home late. You're right, though. She's spreading herself pretty thin."

"You think her team knows?"

Jinx scoffed. "They might, but they're, like, the worst people ever when it comes to overworking themselves, even Beastboy."

Cyborg was helping helping decrypt and analyze the Brotherhood's information, hiding a yawn. Robin was talking to Batman and Wonder Woman, leaning against a stack of crates to mask his fatigue. Beastboy was parading around as an elephant, helping cart instruments and debris around. Starfire zoomed above their heads, carrying medical supplies to those who needed them.

"... Is it bad that I'm too comfortable where I am to get up and help?"

"Not at all," a new male voice said, "It's a miracle you kids did as much as you did without worse casualties."

Jinx and Wally stiffened, scrambling up to greet the newcomer. "Green Lantern!"

The dark-skinned intergalactic peacekeeper nodded, holding out a PDA. "The debriefing roster's ready. You two are towards the end; the more  _involved_  debriefs were saved for last."

Jinx stared back defiantly at the older superhero's assessing gaze. She had just spent the last several hours fighting alongside the Titans to save the world, thank you very much, and wasn't about to let someone who hadn't even been  _on-planet_  make her feel small. Yeah, she'd been a villain. She  _wasn't_  anymore.

Wally's presence was warm and solid beside her, like a shield. Green Lantern's aura was strong and fierce, brighter than Wally's, but tempered with old sorrows and regrets. The older man looked down at her and Wally's entwined hands - she wasn't sure when that had happened, but she wasn't letting go - and nodded, turning away to talk to other heroes.

"That went well, right?" Wally quipped.

Jinx hit him on the arm lightly and he laughed.

* * *

Jinx woke up to a loud bang and a small child screaming.

" _Touch my kids, and I will END you!_ "

"Raven!"

"Stand down!"

Jinx grabbed Wally's arm as he crouched beside her. "Wh - what's going on?"

Raven stood in a defensive position in front of three small children, who were holding onto her legs and huddling beneath her cape. Raven's eyes were glowing white and her teeth were bared. The youngest, still in a onesie, was wailing up a storm.

"You're  _mean!_ " the oldest, a blonde with pigtails cried, holding onto Raven and trying not to cry.

In front of Raven stood Flash and Zatanna, both looking wary and disconcerted.

"I think," Wally muttered, "We just proved why putting Flash and Zatanna in the same room as kids is a bad idea."

"Enough," Batman ordered, and the younger heroes immediately snapped to attention.

"They are  _children_ ," Raven hissed, "You can't put them through an  _interrogation_  like the rest of us!"

"No one's being  _interrogated_ ," Flash protested.

Jinx pulled herself up alongside Wally. "Raven's being cornered, this is going to end  _really_  badly."

The Teen Titans apparently had the same idea, as they promptly moved between Raven and the Justice League in response. Cyborg put a hand on Raven's shoulder as Robin, Starfire, and Beastboy stared down the older heroes.

"Easy, Raven," Cyborg soothed, "No one's going to mess with your kids."

Raven blinked, pulling her powers back, and looked between the Titans and the Justice League. Robin was standing defiantly, with Beastboy and Starfire at his sides, both wary and ready to fight. They would fight for her. If it came down to it, her team - her friends, her family - would choose her over their own idols.

Raven knelt down, picking up the squalling toddler and rubbing his back. "Hey, Teether, it's okay. It's okay, I'm here."

Teether sniffled and wrapped his arms around her neck with surprising force, burrowing into her hold. Timmy looked up at her, his face scrunching up, and she stretched out her arm, drawing him into a hug as well. Her kids. Her kids were safe.

"Black Canary, take the children back to the Monastery," Batman ordered.

Raven stiffened, feeling panic creep back up on her. Canary... Canary... Black Canary's aura was muted, though almost as large and powerful as other League members'. It didn't... hurt... as much to be near her.

The older blonde knelt in front of Raven and the children, keeping her posture unassuming and her voice low and calm. "Raven. The children will be safe at the Monastery."

Raven's eyes narrowed slightly, her empathic senses seeking out Black Canary's motive.

"You've taken really good care of them, Raven," Black Canary continued, and Raven could feel the restrained admiration laced with tension and exhaustion. "But it's time for all of you to rest, now. The youngest - Teether, right? - is already falling asleep, isn't he?"

Raven didn't even need to look to see, Teether's mental presence was getting drowsier and drowsier. She shifted him gently in her hold, so that he wouldn't be as uncomfortable.

"He needs to get to bed, and I'll bet Timmy and Melvin do as well."

Melvin made a soft sound of surprise, tugging Raven's cloak around her to hide from Black Canary's attention. Timmy looked at the woman with squinted eyes.

"You're  _not_  going to interrogate them again," Raven warned. She wouldn't allow it.

"No," Black Canary agreed, "Not today, and not tomorrow. We'll get the full story from you. Right now, the kids need to go home, eat real food, and get some sleep. It's been a long day for them."

Timmy yawned despite himself, and Raven nodded. She didn't want to let them out of her sight, but she knew better than anyone how tired they were. She  _felt_  more than heard Melvin's stomach rumble against her hip.

Her kids needed to get out of here.

She could feel Flash's impatience from behind her, and Zatanna's irritation that she was questioning the League. Batman was calm, reserved, analyzing her actions.

"Take care of them."

"Bobby will protect us, Raven," Melvin piped up, taking the first step towards Black Canary, "Right, Bobby?"

The sixteen-foot-tall stuffed teddy bear hovering just beyond reach nodded. Raven, Melvin, Timmy, and Teether were the only ones who could see him; Bobby was too wary around the others to show his presence to them. Melvin darted over to grab his hand as Raven passed Teether to Black Canary.

Timmy glanced between the two and squirmed out of Raven's grasp, demanding of Black Canary, "Pick me up, too!"

The blonde chuckled and scooped up the redhead with her other arm. Black Canary nodded to Raven. "I'll protect them as you would, Raven. Don't worry."

Raven didn't respond. Unlikely, but if anything went wrong, their communicators were now clear. She'd just be a call away.

"Raven, you doing okay?"

Raven winced slightly as she turned her attention back to Cyborg. The League's bright auras were grating on her nerves more and more. "... I need to meditate."

"You can meditate while we continue the debriefings," Batman replied, "Jinx, you're next."

Jinx nodded, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she and Wally stepped forward.

" _Just_  Jinx."

Kid Flash scowled, and the pink-haired sorceress squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It'll be fine, Wally. I'll be fine."

Wally could only watch helplessly as she left with the League members. She was putting on a brave front, but he knew how worried she was, worried that they would judge her for her past, worried that all the good she'd done in the past few weeks would be for nothing, and she'd be kicked to the curb again. Worried that she'd be hunted again.

Robin placed a hand on his colleague's shoulder. "She'll be fine. Batman's running the debrief, he knows best how to handle... people like Jinx."

"People like Jinx?" Wally said, looking between Robin and the green-clad arm on his shoulder. "You trying to say something, Robin?"

Robin's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm just saying, that given Jinx's  _history_  -"

"You mean as a villain," Kid Flash snapped, "Just come out and say what you want to say, Boy Wonder."

"Hey, guys," Cyborg tried to cut in.

"Look, calm down, Kid Flash -"

"I am calm, I'm perfectly calm-"

"Both of you,  _shut up!_ " Raven snapped, a wave of black energy cresting between the two heroes. "Your arguing is pointless. Jinx is being debrief by Batman, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Batman's fair, Wally," Robin said quietly, "If Jinx really has turned over a new leaf -"

"She  _has_."

" - Then he'll treat her just as he would any one of us."

Both boys' gazes flicked to Raven as she picked up her chant of "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" and Kid Flash sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Yeah. Okay."

* * *

It was more than an hour before Jinx came out, looking worn with eyes suspiciously bright. Wally appeared at her side, between her and Batman in a streak of yellow and red.

"You're okay!" he blurted out, "I mean, not that you wouldn't be -"

His words were cut off as Jinx chuckled. "I'm fine, Wally."

"You're next, Kid Flash," Batman said from behind him, as implacable as ever.

"I got this one, Bats," Flash said, stepping out from behind Batman, and Wally's eyes widened.

Raven's eyes snapped open at the sudden spike in emotion. Robin stood, watching warily. There was all sorts of potential for this to end badly.

Then something beeped and the Fastest Man Alive huffed. "Guess we don't get our quality time tonight, kiddo. Trouble back home."

He disappeared in a streak of red, and Wally finally relaxed his death grip on Jinx's hand - hopefully, they'd eventually start noticing when they grabbed each other's hands.

Batman looked at Kid Flash. "Ready?"

The redhead looked between his girlfriend and the Dark Knight hesitantly. He wasn't quite ready to leave Jinx, he'd only just gotten her back.

"I'm fine, Wally," Jinx assured, "Go ahead."

Wally nodded and turned back to Batman, a winsome grin on his face. "As good as gold, sir."

There was a beat of silence after the pair disappeared, until Beastboy asked, "Uh, dude, what just happened?"

Starfire nodded, adding, "It would appear that our new friend Kid Flash does not like the Flash of the Justice League."

"Aren't they supposed to be partners?" Cyborg wondered.

"They... don't get along as well as they used to," Robin admitted.

The boys then turned to Jinx, who shrugged, "What? Why do you think I know any better?"

"Well, you're kind of his girlfriend," Beastboy pointed out.

Jinx's mouth curved upwards in a slight smile hearing the term from someone else. She settled down against a crate, replying, "No 'kind of' about it, Green Bean. But he doesn't really like talking about it, so I don't press. I figured it was some kinda pre-requisite for you guys."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Plenty of teenage heroes still fight alongside their mentors. Rocket and Icon, Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman, Talon and Owlman, Knight and Squire, Sandy and Sandman, Stuff and Vigilante, Wing and the Crimson Avenger..."

"So, seven. In the whole world," Jinx summarized, "Great track record there."

Cyborg bit back a snort and Beastboy snickered, but Starfire tugged on Robin's glove worriedly. "But Robin, why do students and mentors stay together here on Earth so rarely? Is it... Do they not celebrate Blorthog?"

Robin's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, Star, nothing like that. Sometimes... You just have to go your separate ways. Maybe your fighting styles don't match anymore. Maybe you want to take charge of your own life. Maybe you look in the mirror one morning, and don't realize who's looking back."

"Or you realize  _exactly_  who's looking back," Jinx muttered quietly.

Robin turned to look at her and she hesitated for a moment before grinning unrepentantly. "If I grew up with Batman, I'd probably run around looking like a traffic light, too."

"I do  _not_  look like a traffic light!"

Cyborg laughed and tossed an arm over Robin's shoulders. "Sure you don't, man, sure you don't."

"Nice one, Jinx," Beastboy said with a grin, sprawling on the ground beside her and yawning, "Man, this day is dragging on _forever!_ "

"You're telling me," Jinx agreed, "Hey, Rae, you got any more of that tea left?"

A frozen, stunned silence followed the pink-haired sorceress' question.

Raven's fingers twitched, and a teacup floated over to Jinx.

"Don't call me that."

More silence.

" _How did you do that?_ " Beastboy breathed, staring at Jinx in awe.

Jinx looked at him over the mouth of her teacup curiously. Taking a sip, she asked, "Do what?"

"You - She - How -  _No one_  calls her  _that!_ "

Jinx's lips stretched into a grin, mischief sparking in her eyes. "Wally did."

"Wally was close to having to pick splinters out of his hide for the next decade," Robin corrected with faint amusement.

" _Robin!_  Did you see? Seriously! How did that just _happen?_ "

Jinx giggled into her teacup as Beastboy flailed around Robin and Cyborg, chattering a mile a minute. He was like their little brother, and she kept expecting Robin to reach out and ruffle his hair like an indulgent older brother.

"It is most glorious," Starfire cheered, her earlier worries forgotten, "That Raven has accepted New Friend Jinx into the fold!"

" - But she never lets  _me_  call her Rae -"

Beastboy promptly found himself hanging upside down in mid-air, black energy at his ankles.

"Beastboy," Raven growled, without opening her eyes or moving from her meditative pose, "What have I said about being annoying while I'm meditating?"

The changeling let out an undignified squeak. Cyborg burst out laughing again.

"Illbegoodpleasedontkillme!"

Raven huffed a small sigh and dropped him back to the ground, but the corners of her lips were twitching upward. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"So this happens often?" Jinx asked as the Titans settled down on the floor around her.

Cyborg, who was closest to her, nodded with a fond smile. "Used to happen two or three times a day back at the Tower, whenever we were all in one place."

The dark-skinned teen's eyes clouded slightly. Seven months. For nearly seven months, his team had been scattered to the four corners of the Earth, tracking down intel, fighting the Brotherhood, aiding new heroes, making new contacts, on top of stopping crime when and where they saw it. They were at the forefront of the fight, while the other Honorary Titans remained in their own cities, or occasionally covered for someone else. They had been free to live their lives mostly as usual, just more watchful of the Brotherhood. It had been hard, so hard, and this from the guy who'd already lived through the end of the world. He still wasn't entirely sure that this was  _real_ , that they'd  _really_  just  _won_.

"It's been a while for you guys, hasn't it?" Jinx asked softly.

"A long while," Cyborg agreed, "Two or three of us might meet up for a mission, or cross paths on the way to one, but that was it. Most of the time, we only saw each others' faces through our communicators - we ever get you one of those?"

"Nope," Jinx replied, stamping down on the hurt welling up inside her. She'd spent how many years fighting  _against_  these people, again? She'd done her level best to humiliate them, even if she was the one always defeated in the end. So what if she'd spend the last several weeks fighting the Brotherhood and miscellaneous villains alongside Wally? As long as they didn't start hunting her, she'd take what trust they  _did_  give her.

"We actually ran out," Robin admitted sheepishly, "And since you were with Kid Flash anyway, it wasn't really a priority to bust out the plans and materials to make a new one. We should have time now, though."

Jinx blinked at Robin, uncomprehending for a moment. They'd... run out? It wasn't because they didn't trust her? A bubble of hope rose up in her chest and spread throughout her as she laughed, clear and true, her eyes crinkling at the edges.

Wow.

After all the years, after all the battles, after  _everything_...

She was a Titan.

* * *

"They did good."

Batman looked up from the computer to Superman, who smiled and continued. "The kids, the... Titans. They did a good job yesterday. Robin's shaping up to be a powerful leader."

The statement didn't require an answer, so Batman returned to putting the information from the debriefs into the Watchtower's database.

"You get the mess with Luthor taken care of, Superman?" John Stewart asked, entering the room with his fellow Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.

"I did," the last Kryptonian replied with a nod, "I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer and help with the clean-up and debriefing."

"The kids took care of most of that themselves, honestly," Hal replied, "If it wasn't for Robin, Speedy, and Raven, we might not even have been called in at all."

"Raven?" Zatanna wondered, "What did  _she_  have to do with anything?"

"As I understand," Martian Manhunter commented, "It was in part thanks to her urging that the Titans agreed to call for help after the battle. It was Robin and Speedy who chose to call us instead of the local police."

"Smart girl," Black Canary said, standing up and stretching, "I don't know why you don't like her, Zatanna."

"She's a  _demoness_ ," Zatanna rebutted, "Her  _nature_  is evil, it's not a choice. No matter how hard she tries, some day, blood will out. That girl's a threat."

"She  _is_  kinda creepy with that Goth-thing she's got going on," Flash agreed, blurring in with a slice of pizza in his hand, "But I've seen worse."

"Every one of us here is a threat to the Earth," Batman added levelly, "Some with just as much, if not more, destructive power as Raven."

"Regardless, Raven hasn't done anything but fight alongside the other Titans," Hawkgirl replied, "The one we  _should_  be worried about is Jinx."

"You don't trust her change of heart?" Hal questioned.

"Girl's got a long history of villainy," Hawkgirl replied, "Top of her class at H.I.V.E. Academy. How do we know this change of heart is for real?"

"Wally seems pretty keen on her," Flash offered.

"He could easily be blinded by his feelings for her."

"Well, you're the one who debriefed her, Batman," John said, "What do  _you_  think about her?"

There was a moment of silence before the Dark Knight replied, "I think she could be a good ally for the Titans. She's smart, cunning, and knows how to keep her head cool under pressure. She's adaptable. She has a strong bond with one Titan, and potential bonds with at least three others. And all of those characteristics make her just as much a threat as an asset."

"She's spent a long time working with Chaos magicks," Zatanna added, "Her aura is stained with it. That kind of magic isn't easy to give up."

"Looks like she's been doing pretty well so far," Flash pointed out, "And she did put up with all our questioning without complaint. I say we give her a chance."

"I don't think it's up to us at this point," Black Canary announced, gesturing at one of the monitors.

Doctor Light and several other crooks had staged simultaneous robberies in Jump City. All twenty-six of the Titans flooded the streets, making short work of their opponents. Robin rapped out orders to the different groups, as Starfire, Raven, Argent, and Red Star provided aerial cover.

"They bounce back fast!"

"It really is a never-ending battle," Superman muttered ruefully.

Pantha roared and hurled one of the crooks into a building. Robin gestured to Jinx and she sent waves of pink energy where he directed, bringing a bus stop down on another. Gnarrk and Cyborg fought back-to-back as Bumblebee wove fluidly through Speedy's hail of arrows, charging them up.

"Kids these days," Flash said with a shake of his head, watching his nephew blur across the screen.

Robin somersaulted over a large chunk of flying debris, rapping out orders that the other teens responded to like a well-oiled machine. They were Titans, all of them. They were part of something bigger now, shield-brethren forged through danger and battle, and they all served the same noble purpose.

As if on cue, an alarm in the Watchtower started blaring.

"Trouble in Bialya," Black Canary reported as her teammates stood, "Looks like Queen Bee's at it again."

"A battle, first thing in the morning?" Hawkgirl said, twirling her mace, "Just how I  _like_  to start my day."

Zatanna rolled her eyes, shooting off a teasing retort - they were teammates, too, these heroes. The Titans would be fine without them watching over, they'd proven that in spades. They were the heroes the world needed, from the lowest and highest walks of life, fighting the good fight against crime that never stopped. The were the ones the Justice League could count on to act in their stead, to fight with the same true purpose: to fight crime and protect the innocent.

And nothing would stand in their way.


End file.
